Draft regulator for furnaces



C. R. McCOLLUM.

DRAFT REGULATOR FOR'FURNACES. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 29, 1920.

1,434,902. Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

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2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

Patented Nov. 7, 1922.

UNITED STATES CHARLES RAYMOND MGCOLLUM, 0F BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

DRAFT REGULATOR FOR FURNACES.

Application filed March 29, 1920. Serial No. 369,590.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES RAYMOND McCoLLUM, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of the city of New York,

borou h of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings b and tate of New York, haveinvented a new and useful Draft Regulator for Furnaces, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to regulating devices for furnaces, and has foran object to provide an improved construction Wherein the controllingdrafts of a furnace and of a smoke pipe may be set to any desiredposition from a. distant point.

Another object of the invention is to provide a comparative smallapparatus, electrically operated, for opening and closing the drafts ofa furnace, and controllable from one or more points in a house.

A further object is the provision of means for a furnace wherein acomparatively weak motor is geared up to easily operate all of thedampers of the furnace and the smoke pipe, the arrangement being suchthat the motor is controlled from different points distant from thefurnace.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an electriccontrol and operating means for the dampers of a furnace with indicatingmeans at one or more distant points for indicating the position of thedampers.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of an embodiment of the invention shown appliedto a smoke pipe, certain part-s of the pipe and furnace being shownbroken away so as to illustrate in a better manner the operation of thevarious parts.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view showing the mechanismillustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view through F igure 1 on line 3-3, a system ofwiring being shown in connection therewith for illustrating the distantcontrol.

Figure 4 is a detail fragmentary sectional View through Figure?) on line4-4.

Referring to the accompanying drawings by numerals, 1 indicates part ofa furnace having a draft door 2 connected with a chain 3 passing over asuitable pulley 4, said chain 8 also extending downwardly to the bottomof the furnace so as to be connected with the draft damper. This is anordi with the damper 7. Th that damper 7 is closed or substantiallyclosed when the check damper I though damper 7 could some other positionif desired. Connected with the upper end of the damper arm 6 is a wireor cable 8 extending to a double drum 9 on which it is wound with asection extending through the aperture 10 so that there Wlll be noslipping between the parts. From the spool or drum 9 the cable alsoextends to the lower end of the arm 6, so that whenever the spool ordrum 9 is rotated the arm will be actuated for swinging the damper 7,check damper 2 and also the draft damper of the furnace 1 either to anopen or closed position.

In order to actuate the drum 9 and parts connected therewith, a drivingmechanism and-controlling device are provided as shown more particularlyin Figure 3. This mechamsm is provided with a motor 11 of anv desiredkind, the armature of which has a shaft 12 extending an appreciabledistance therefrom through an opening 13 in the brace 14, so that thepinion 15 may readily mesh with the comparatively large gear wheel 16carried b the shaft 17. Shaft 17 is rotatably suppo ted in the braces 14and 1 8, said braces ljeing bolted or otherwise rigidly secured ,to thebracket 19. The bracket 19 is provided with a horizontal section 20which supports the motor 11 and the arc-shaped section 21 bolted orotherwise rigidly secured to the draft pipe 22 and upper horizontalsection 23 for holding the upper ends of the braces 14 and 18 in properplace, and also for other purposes hereinafter fully described. A stripof asbestos, or other heat insulating material 24 is arranged betweenthe arc-shaped section-21 and bracket 19 and the pipe 22. It will benoted that when'the motor 11 is operating power will be transmitted tothe shaft 17, which carries a pinion 25 meshing with a large gear 26rigidly secured to the spool or drum 9. The spool or drum 9 is rotatablymounted on the shaft 27 carried by the braces 14 and 18. From Figure 4it will be noted that the gear wheel .If the motor is running in one 26is keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to the drum 9, and said drum isprovided with a central division web 28 in which the aperture 10 ispositioned so that the wire or cable 8 may be arranged in two coils andthe coils prevented from slipping. As the motor rotates power will betransmitted to the drum 9 for rotating the same and pulling on one endof the cable 8 while paying out the opposite end so as to shift the arm6 and all the parts connected therewith. direction the dampers will beopened or set so that a good draft will be provided whereas if the motoris caused to operate in the opposite direction the dampers will be movedto a closed position, or such other position as will cause the draft tobe shut off and the fire more or less choked.

In order to provide a proper tension for the wire or cable 8 pulleys 29and 30 are held in engagement with the different le s of the wire bysprings 31 and 32 (Figure 1%. These springs are. connected with abracket 33 which in turn is connected to the horizontal section 23 andbracket 19 by a bolt or other securing means. This structure providesfor an automatic take up of any slack in the wire or cable 8.

In order to provide information at 3a distant point as to the conditionof the dampers a switch board 34 is provided, which is clamped to thebrace 14 by screws 35 and 36, and is braced by a suitable bracket orbracing member 37 bolted or otherwise secured to the horizontal section23 and the board 34 by a bolt 38. The board 34 is made from someinsulating material, as for instance a sheet of fiber, and has clampedthereto a slate face late 39. The face plate 39 carries a retaining ar40 forthe contact lever 41 and carries arc-shaped contact plates 42 and43 held in place by screws 44 and 45 which also holds in place the feedwires 46 and 47. Additional screws are also provided for holding theplates 42 and 43 in place as well as the plate 40 so that there will beno looseness and that the contact lever 41 may provide a good electricalconnection between said lever and either of the plates 42 and 43. A bolt48 holds the lever 41 in place, and at the same time acts as a bindingpost for the signal wire 49. The upper end of the lever 41 is connectedthrough a rod 50 to the arm 6 so that whenever said arm is moved thelever will be shifted.

At some convenient point in which the house with which the furnace isassociated, a ,pair of switches 54 and 58 are suitably mounted, theswitch 54 being of the singleole double throw type and the switch 58bemg what may be termed a reverse switch and of the double throwtwo-pole type. Also there should be provided a battery or other suitablesource of electric current supnected to t ply as indicated at 64. Thenegative side of the battery is connected by a wire 65 with one pole ofthe switch 58, while the positive side of the battery is connectedthrough the wires 66 with the other pole of the switch 58. The switch 54has its pivoted blade 54 connected with the wire 49. The blade 54 isadapted to be brought to engage with either the contact 53 or 57 of theswitch. The contact 53 is connected through a wire 52 and a pilot lamp51 with the wire 66, while the contact point 57 isconnected through thewire 56 and pilot light to the wire 65. Furthermore in this arrangementthe wire 46 which as heretofore described has its one end. connectedwith the arc-shaped contact plate 43 carried by the switch board 34 andat its other end with the wire as indicated at 62, Figure 3, and thewire 47 which is connected at its one end to the are shaped contactplate 43 is connected at its other end to the wire 66 as indicated at63.

With respect to the reversing switch 58 the same is connected throughthe wires 60 and 61 to the motor 11. The wires 60 and 61 are forsupplying the motor with current for operating the same and are conefield of the motor through the wires 69 and 70 and to the commutator ofthe motor through the wires 67 and 68.

The purpose of the signal lights 51 and 55 is to indicate the positionof the lever 41 and is accomplished in the following manner. Assumingthat the lever 41 was disposed upon the contact plate 42 and that thedampers were in their relative position it then is obvious that thewires 49 and 46 would be connected together through the lever 41; Thisbeing the case should the switch blade 54' of the switch 54 be moved tomanipulate the contact 54 a circuit will be established through the'light 51. The current establishing this circuit traveling from thebattery 64 through the switch 54 and from thence through the wire 49 andreturning to the battery through the wire 46. Should the lever 41 bedisposed upon the contact plate 43 then the wires 47 and 49 areconnected. Now if the switch blade 54' is manipulated to connect withthe contact 57 then the light 55 will be energized to indicate thisposition of the lever 41. The

current energizing the light 55 will travel from the battery 64 throughthe wire 66 then through the wire 47 and return by the wire 49 and fromthence through the switch 54 and the light 55 and to the wire 65 whichis connected with the opposite side of the battery. Should the lever 41be disposed'beposition of the lever 41 and he desires to change theposition of the diiferent dampers by moving the same toward their closedpositrons or open position he may then use the motor 11 for thispurpose. As heretofore described if the motor 11 is rotated in onedirection the cable 8 will be drawn for opening the dampers, while ifthe motor is reversed the cable 8 will be drawn for closing the dampers.The switch 58 is adapted for causing the motor 11 to rotate in eitherdirection and consequently by properly manipulating the switch theoperator may cause the motor to bring the different ampers to thepositions desired. It is of course to be assumed that the switch 58 isnormally opened and. only closed at the time when 0 eratin the motor 11for bringing the di erent ampers associated with the furnace to newpositions.

It will be noted that the motor 11 is bolted fast to the bottom part ofthe bracket 19 by any desired number of bolts and is also insulatedtherefrom, while the u per part. of the motor is braced by suitablebracket arms 71 held in place preferably by the bolt 35 which ispreferably insulated from the boundary material ordinarily not neces-'sary.

What I claim is:

l. A regulator for furnace dampers comprising means for opening andclosing said dampers, including a rotating drum and a cable operatedthereby, a motor, a train of reducing gears connecting the motor withsaid drum whereby when the motor is operated the drum will be rotatedforopening and closin the dampers according to the direction 0% rotationof the motor, means for supplying current to said motor, means arrangedat a distant point for causing said motor to reverse, a signal devicearranged adjacent said reversing means, and means operated by thedampers of said furnace for actuating said signal means whereby saldslgnal means will indicate when the dampers are open and when they areclosed.

2. A regulator for furnace dampers, means connecting said dampers sothat the check damper will be open as the draft damper is closed, an armconnected with said dampers, a drum, a cable connected with said drumand with said arm so that when the drum is rotated the cable willactuate said arm for opening and closing the dampers, an electricallyoperated power member for rotating said drum, means controllable from adistance for causing said power member to move in opposite directions, apair of lights arranged at a distant point, a switch arranged adjacentsaid power member and connected with said lights, and-means forconnecting the switch arm withthe arm connected with the dampers so thatwhen the dampers are moved by the power member to a closed position oneof said lamps will be supplied with current for illuminating the sameand when the power member moves the dampers to an open position theswitch arm will be moved for completing the circuit of the other of saidlamps.

3. A damper opening and closing device comprising means for actuatingthe dampers to produce an opening and closing action, a switch providedwith a switch arm arranged adjacent said device, a rod connecting saidswitch arm with the dampers so that the switch arm will be moved to oneposition when the dampers are closed and to the opposite position whenthe dampers are open, and a pair of electric lamps connected with saidswitch and with a source of current, the connection being such that whensaid switch arm is in one position one light will be illuminated andwhen in the opposite position the other light will be illuminated,whereby an indication will be provided showing the position of thedampers.

' In a device of the. character described, the combination with afurnace having a damper, electrically operated means for opening andclosing said damper, a switch connected with said damper formed with apair of opposite contacts, a pair of indieating lamps arranged at adistant point I connected to said opposite contacts and to the switcharm, a source of current for said lamps, means for connecting the switcharm with said damper so that when the damper is closed the switcharmwill be moved to close the circuit of one of said lamps and when theswitch is moved in the opposite direction the circuit of the other ofsaid lamps will be closed, and. a manually actuated switch having a pairof contacts interposed in the circuit of both of said lamps arrangedadjacent the lamp so that the circuit of the lamps may be manuallyclosed when temporarily observing the position of the damper.

5. In a furnace regulator of the clas described, the combination with afurnace having a damper, of a pivotally mounted arm connected with saiddamper, said damper being opened or closed by swinging said arm, a linkconnecting one end of said arm with a check damper, a pair of cablesconnected at one end to the respective ends of said arm, the other endof said cables lying on a drum, said drum having a divisional member forseparating the cables and apertures through which the respective cablesextend, spring means for maintaining said cables under tension, a motorfor rotatin said drum in either direction, an electrica circuit for saidmotor, and a reversing switch in series with said electrical circuit forconnecting in or reversing said motor.

6. In a furnace regulator of the class decircuit, contacts connected 111said circuit and disposed in the path OI movement of said blade, and alamp in series with each of said separate contacts, said lamp beingclosed in circuit when said arm contacts with 15 one of said separatecontacts.

CHARLES RAYMOND McCOLLUM.

a pair of separately arranged 10

